Display truck for burial vaults



Nov. 5, 1940. M. KRIGER I 2,220,160

DISPLAY TRUCK FOR BURIAL VAULTS Filed July 22, 1939 V INVENTOR,

ATTORNEI'.

Patented Nov. 5, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPLAY TRUCK FOR BURIAL VAULTS Frederick M. Kriger, Holyoke, Mass.

Application July 22, 1939, Serial No. 285,919

8 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in display trucks for burial vaults.

The display of burial vaults to prospective purchasers, as practiced in the art at present, is awkward and unsatisfactory. It is desirable to present to View both the inside and outside of a burial vault and its cover, for inspection and explanation of desirable construction. Because of the great weight of these vaults, they cannot be moved about or lifted easily, nor can the covers be lifted and turned for inspection. Furthermore, when once set on a carpet or other finished flooring, difliculty is experienced in cleaning around them. The covers cannot be the danger of sliding or tipping and seriously injuring a person who may be standing near them.

It is an object of this invention to provide a combined support and truck, by means of which a vault and its cover may be adequately supported in such a manner that both the inside and outside of the vault and cover are presented for easy inspection. I

. It is a further object of this invention to provide in such a support means for supporting a burial vault and cover in spaced relation to the floor, so that the floor around and under the displayed vault and cover may be easily kept clean.

Another object of this invention is to provide a combined display device and supporting truck for burial vaults, by means of which a burial vault and its cover may be adequately supported in such a manner that they may be easily moved from one location to another, when desired.

These, and other objects and advantages of this invention, will be more completely disclosed and described in the following specification, the accompanying drawing, and the appended claims.

Broadly, this invention comprises a bed memher having a plurality of casters or rollers secured on the underside thereof, stop elements on the bedmember for contacting and locating a burial vault supported on the bed member, a bracket secured on the bed member and extending upwardly therefrom for supporting a burial vault cover, a locking .element on the bed member, and a locking element removably secured on the upper end of the bracket member and co-' operating with the locking element on the bed member to hold a burial Vault cover against the bracket member and prevent the cover from accidental disengagement with the member.

,Apreferred embodiment of this invention is tipped up at an angle against a wall, because of bracket.

illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a supporting truck,

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a supporting truck, with a burial vault and cover shown in dotted lines to indicate their relative positions on the truck, and I Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic side elevational view illustrating the use of a pair of supporting trucks to holda display burial vault and cover.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, in which like numerals refer to like parts throughout:

A bed plate-I is bent upwardly at each end 2 and 3 and the terminals of the bent portions 2 and 3 are formed into rolls 4 and 5. An an-- gular member 6, having one arm I thereof secured on the bed I and the other arm 8 extending upwardly tocomplement the bent end 3 of the bed I, has the terminal of the upwardly extending arm 8 also formed into a roll 9. The member B is spaced from the end 3 and cooperates with the end 3 to provide guides or stops for properly locating a burial vault Ill on the bed I, as best indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

A bracket II is formed with an upwardly extending portion I2, a horizontal portion I3, and a second upwardly extending portion I l which is secured to the portion I2 by any suitable means such as welding, or bolts I5. The bracket II is secured on the bed I by means of welding, or bolts ill, with the portion I2 forming an approximate right angle with the bent end 2 of the bed I. The bracket II is thus arranged on tthe bed I so that the portion I2 forms an acute angle with the horizontal portion of the bed I as best indicated in Figs. 1 and 2.

A locking clip I! is removably secured on the upper end of the portion I2 of the bracket H by means of bolts I8, and is formed with an outwardly extending portion I9 terminating in a downwardly projecting roll 20. The portion I9 and roll 20 are complementary with the end 2 and roll 4 of the bed I, and cooperate therewith to securely look a burial vault cover 2| in tipped position against the portion I2 of the bracket II, as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

The various surfaces of the display truck which are contacted by portions of the vault Ill and cover 2I are covered with resilient pads of leather, rubber, or other suitable material to protect the surfaces of the vault and cover from becoming chipped or marred by contact with the metallic portions of the truck. A pad 22 is se- 55 cured on the face of the end 3 of the bed I, a pad 23 is secured on the complementary face of the member 6, and a pad 24 is secured on the upper face of the portion of the bed I designed to receive and support the vault ID. A pad 25, secured to the upper face of the bent end 2 of the bed i and to the adjacent face of the portion l2 of the bracket H, a pad 26 secured on the face of the portion |2 of the bracket II at its upper end, and a pad 21 secured to the lowerface of the clip l1, cooperate to protect the sides and lower edges of the cover 2|. The pads 22-21 inclusive may be secured on their supporting faces in any suitable manner, such as countersunk rivets or bolts, or by means of a proper adhesive.

Casters 28 are secured on the under side of the bed I, and serve to space the bed I above a supporting surface 29, such as a floor or platform,

and also to provide mobility to the unit as a whole. The casters 28 may be of standard type, heavy duty, either with fixed axes or swivel mounting, as desired. Both types have been found satisfactory in use. Rubber tired casters may also be used when desired, to protect the floor surfaces on which the trucks are used.

In operation, two or more of the trucks are placed in aligned and spaced position in the desired location, the clips removed, and a burial cover 2| in place on the trucks, the whole becomes a unit, movable at will, with the vault and cover spaced above the supporting floor to provide a space 3|] which is easily accessible for cleaning. The inside and outside of both vault and cover are clearly visible for inspection.

The advantages of this device will be clearly understood when considered in connection with the bulk and weight of the burial vaults to be displayed. For example, a typical burial vault will weigh approximately 1800 lbs, with the vault itself weighing approximately 1380 lbs. and the cover 420 lbs. When mounted and supported on two or more of these display trucks, the whole may be moved as a unit by one person, whereas, when set solidly on a floor, apparatus and hoisting machinery must be utilized to move them.

The rolled terminals 4, 5, 9, and 20 serve, not only to enhance the pleasing appearance of the truck, .but also eliminate all sharp edges and corners which might come in contact with a person. The open rolls also provide convenient grips for moving hooks, so that the vault and-cover may be moved and handled without coming into contact with the vault or cover at all. Thus, all contacts which might mar, chip, or soilthe surfaces of the vault and cover are avoided. When assembled with a vault and cover, as shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing, the paired rolls 4, 5, and 20 are also used as supporting bearings for receiving advertising signs, or the like, while the vault is on display.

The locking clip I l, in addition to clamping and locking the vault cover 2| in position, also serves to lock the vault itself in position. As shown in on the bracket H, overhangs the upper rim H) of the vault ID, in close proximity thereto, thus effectively preventing the removal of the vault Ill from the bed plate I while the clip I! is in place.

What I claim is:

1. A supporting truck for burial vaults comprising a bed member, stop elements on said bed member for contacting and locating a burial vault supported on said bed member, a bracket secured on said bed member and extending upwardly therefrom for supporting a burial vault cover, a locking element on said bed member, and a looking element removably secured on the upper end of said bracket and cooperating with the locking element on said bed member to hold a burial vault cover against the bracket member and prevent accidental disengagement of the cover and bracket.

2. A supporting truck for a burial vault or the like comprising a bed member of fiat bar stock having each end bent upwardly, a clip secured on said bed member intermediate of said bent ends and cooperating with one of said bent ends for locating a burial vault on said bed member, a bracket secured on said bed member between said'clipand the opposite of said bent ends, said bracket extending upwardly from said bed member, a locking clip removably secured on the upper end of said bracket and cooperating with said second-named bent end and said bracket for supporting a burial vault cover.

3. A supporting truck for a burial vault or the like comprising a bed member of flat stock having each end bent upwardly, a clip secured on said bed member intermediate of said bent ends and cooperating with one of said bent ends for locating a burial vault on said bed member, a bracket secured on said bed member between said clip and the opposite of said bent ends, said bracket extending upwardly from said bed member, a locking clip removably secured on the upper end of said bracket and cooperating with said second-named bent end and said bracket for supporting a burial vault cover, the angle formed by the face of said bracket and said bed member being less than a right angle, whereby the vault cover will be supported in a tipped position and said locking clip will overhang a vault supported on said bed member and prevent the removal of the vault.

4. A display device for burial vaults comprising a body member having a fiat, horizontal portion and an upwardly extending arm at one end of said body portion, the angle formed by said arm and said body portion being less than a right angle, locking elements extending outwardly at each end of said arm portion in parallel relation and terminating in inwardly extending rolls, the locking element at the upper end of said arm portion being removably secured on said arm, guiding elements on said flat, horizontal portion and extending upwardly in parallel relation and terminating in outwardly projecting rolls, said guiding elements serving to locate a burial vault on said flat, horizontal portion.

5. A display device for burial vaults comprising a body member having a fiat, horizontal portion and an upwardly extending arm at one end of said body portion, the angle formed by said arm and said body portion being less than a right angle, locking elements extending outwardly at each end of said arm portion in parallel relation and terminating in inwardly extending rolls, the locking element at the upper end of said arm portion being removably secured on said arm, guiding elements on said flat, horizontal portion and extending upwardly in parallel relation and terminating in outwardly projecting rolls, said guiding elements serving to locate a burial vault on said flat, horizontal portion, the angle between said arm portion and said horizontal portion being such that the locking element at the top of the arm portion will overhang the edge of a vault supported on said horizontal portion between said guiding elements.

6. A display device for burial vaults comprising a body member having a flat, horizontal portion and an upwardly extending arm at one end of said body portion, the angle formed by said arm and said body portion being less than a right angle, locking elements extending outwardly at each end of said arm portion in parallel relation and terminating in inwardly extending rolls, the locking element at the upper end of said arm portion being removably secured on said arm, guiding elements on said flat, horizontal portion and extending upwardly in parallel relation and terminating in outwardly projecting rolls, said guiding elements serving to locate a burial vault on said flat, horizontal portion, the angle between said arm portion and said horizontal portion being such that the locking element at the top of the arm portion will overhang the edge of a vault sup-ported on said horizontal portion and an upwardly extending arm at one end of said body portion, the angle formed by said arm and said body portion being less than a right angle, locking elements extending outwardly at each end of said arm portion in parallel relation and terminating in inwardly extending rolls, the

locking element at the upper end of said am portion being removably secured on said arm, guiding elements on said flat, horizontal portion and extending upwardly in parallel relation and terminating in outwardly projecting rolls, said guiding elements serving to locate a burial vault on said flat, horizontal portion, the angle between said arm portion and said horizontal portion being such that the locking element at the top of the arm portion will overhan the edge of a vault supported on said horizontal portion between said guiding elements, resilient pads secured on the adjacent faces of said arm portion and said locking elements and on the adjacent faces of said horizontal portion and said guiding elements.

8. In a device of the character described, a bed portion and an arm portion extending upwardly from said bed portion, a part of said bed portion being formed in the shape of a channel, said arm portion being also shaped as a channel, the backs of said channels forming an acute angle, the legs of the bed channelextending inwardly, .and the legs of the arm channel extending outwardly, relative to said acute angle, the upper leg of said arm channel being removably secured on the web of said arm channel.

FREDERICK M. KRIGER. 

